Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag handed Omari Forson a full debut in the Premier League defeat against Fulham on Saturday 24th February, 2024 with striker Rasmus Hojlund missing out through injury.
With Rasmus Hojlund and Anthony Martial both injured, Ten Hag gave teenager Forson the nod at home to Fulham. The youngster started in a fluid front three with Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, with Ten Hag leaving Antony on the bench.
Forson started out on the right, and the early goings suggested he’d be needed defensively as well as going forward. He tracked back well to offer support to Diogo Dalot in the first few minutes, ensuring United had an extra body to keep tabs on their former player Andreas Pereira.
When he got time on the ball six minutes in there were some tidy touches, without any sign of panic against more experienced opponents. There were some attempts to perhaps do too much later in the first half, though, with a loose pass aimed at Bruno Fernandes ending up allowing the visitors to break.
The link-up play with Dalot was promising, though, with the right-back going closer than any other United player before the break when he fired against the post from distance. Forson’s first sight of goal did eventually arrive a couple of minutes before the break, but his efforts to fire through a crowd were thwarted when his shot cannoned back off team-mate Victor Lindelof.
Before the game, Ten Hag gave a straightforward answer when asked why Forson had been given his chance. “Because he deserves the position,” the former Ajax boss said. “Lately, he’s performing very well, over the last half year he’s worked very hard, showed his progression.
“And when he came on against Wolves and Newport he had some impact, for instance with the goal for Kobbie Mainoo, he had the link up and good run behind. That’s what we expect from him. He showed reliability and now he gets his chance, so he has to take his chance.
“They [the attackers] have to stay and occupy certain spaces but they can swap positions. It’s about how they’re standing in their defensive transition, so it can’t be a mess, it’s very clear who has to play where.
